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Trivia:

This film earned its "PG" rating due to one of Maggie's lines about her udders ("Yeah, they're real. Quit staring.")See more »

Goofs:

Continuity: Alameda Slim's brand changes between a reflected version and the correct version between shots. For instance, when he is holding the brand towards the camera, the dollar sign should appear reflected.See more »

FAQ

I'm typing this as the movie is playing on DVD. And the kids seem to
like watching it. But then, they're young and animation appeals in
general.

Still, we try to watch with them... and I happen to love animation
myself, having some background in cartoon-drawing. Everything Pixar?
Fantastic. Old Disney? Sure, serve it up. Along with the Looney Tunes,
old Tom & Jerry, etc.

This, though, is a sleepwalk of a feature in so many ways. Not in the
animation, which isn't bad (though not much special, in context of
what's out there). Nor in the music, which is decent enough.

The writing, however, is horrible. I can't imagine anyone
characterizing this dialogue as "funny"... it's an endless stream of
clichés. And the story line, while thin at the core, is unnecessarily
complicated at the fringes. The twists don't feel like twists. They
feel like fumbling shortcuts used to navigate a nest of tangled
details.

I find myself astounded at how (a) such a venerable studio as Disney
gets behind this kind of project (b) how they manage to attract so much
high-profile voice talent and (c) how those actors stomach saying these
lines, given that every one of them has acted in much better stuff than
this pap. I guess a paycheck helps.

But still, ultimately this is a movie that shouldn't have been made.

P.S. One other thing... one can't help but feel like this is one of
those animation movies meant to appeal to a demographic. Like, say, the
vast swath of middle America that loves country music. It's worth
noting that the other failed animated movies of recent years have all
attempted to do the same kind of feel-good, blatant targeting.

Brother Bear... Fox and the Hound 2... there are others I can't think
of at the moment. Why does it fail? First, because the movies by nature
end up offering stereotypes of the demographic they're targeting.
Second, because they end up being style over substance. The plot is
just a vehicle to deliver the caricature. And last, because it's
ridiculous to assume that great story lines don't transcend the
cultural distinctions.

Do the studio marketers really think, for instance, that the Nascar set
and Manhattan kids alike can't "get" Monsters Inc or Toy Story on a
shared level? The only movie of recent years that seemed to beat that
rap was "Cars." And that was because it was a good story, not stuck in
being pedantic or playing to any one crowd.

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